


Toll

by AikoIsari



Series: Gameboard [2]
Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Xros Wars | Digimon Fusion
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Mind Games, Wish Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-16 09:33:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 8,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3483200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AikoIsari/pseuds/AikoIsari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Xros Wars] AU-Canon,, Pre-Hunters. "The bells hadn't stopped ringing and the person in her -their- dreams was still as fog ridden and bright-eyed as they had ever been. And the name was at the tip of her tongue and forbidden." Akari-centric, Post- At Peace, part two of Gameboard</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Quintessential Quoting (Challenge!) and my quote was: "A mistake is simply another way of doing things." - Katherine Graham and the mood was angst. I guess we can see where this is going. Please enjoy everybody. This is for anybody who liked At Peace, but needed a lighter tone. Read and review!

1.

They saved the world.

Akari had to repeat those words over and over in her mind until they stuck like magnets on a refrigerator and they never do.

We saved the world. We saved our home. Shoutmon was the King.

Over and over. They all did it, all saved the world.

But how?

That summer memory faded with the onslaught of school bells and heavy heat and frantic phone calls through time zones. None of them knew, none of them remembered exactly how, and for some reason, none of them really wanted to. A lot of things were lost that day. It was the price of power, the price of doing... whatever it was they had done.

Yet why, on her free Sundays, did she feel alone? She felt unaccomplished. What was she missing? Was there something she needed to do?

During those times, she doodled Cutemon, made up heroic adventures, pulled her brothers out of the garden, but it wasn't the same.

Perhaps, did they lose?

Wouldn't they all be dead?

Sometimes she would smile ruefully at a strangely stuffed bag full of unusual items, care items. She would be able to pack her lunch everyday and a little extra, and not know why she made another set of onigiri or had a special orange juice box.

She would try to throw her big, pink bag away. She couldn't. Just holding it would make her cry.


	2. 2

**chapter three**

_scorched dirt_

"Sabrina, breathe."

"My lungs are still functioning normally."

Erika tried her hardest not to sigh. "It was an expression." Not that she hadn't expected that sort of response, but it was an attempt. She wasn't sure if that response was from pride or her companion taking the statement literally. Sabrina looked about ready to smile like a little girl, and that wasn't normal behavior for the well-feared Gym Leader of Saffron. There was a reason even Team Rocket was leery about actively taking over that city.

Though if they figured out Sabrina's dislike of heights,  _that_ would be an entirely different can of worms.

"Duly noted." Sabrina, believing the conversation finished, began to toy with the debris on the floor, stacking it like a child would wooden blocks. Erika shot a look at one of the men who shuddered. Even if Sabrina wasn't particularly ordinary by League standards, she had earned her position for a  _reason_.

Erika sighed again. She touched the petals of her Bellossom, toying with one until a startled squeak erupted from the plant's mouth. "Does anyone in your group have Chansey or Audino?"

Sabrina's eyebrow quirked. "Audino are an illegal import as of three years ago. They are also normal type as are Chansey."

Erika shrugged as though the response was not particularly disheartening. "I suppose I shall ask again: does anyone in your party have Chansey or Audino?"

Was it her imagination, or did her co-worker's lips twitch? "Three to my knowledge. There are others with Heal Pulse, though yes, Audino and Gardevoir are the most effective aside from Lucario."

"And those are  _definitely_ an illegal import."

"Hence why you have four on this aircraft."

"Five." Erika slipped a Pokeball from her sleeve. "Never hurts to be prepared." She winked and slid it away.

Conversations like this almost made her feel like she was Sabrina's friend. Unfortunately, Sabrina was not the type who understood anything past the dictionary definition of the word 'friend'.

Erika lifted her head to the window and almost missed the flicker of an expression on Sabrina's face. She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes until they fell out of her skull. "I don't hate you, Sabrina."

A pause, too long to be normal. "I'm aware."

Erika giggled. "Just making sure that you don't forget. We are comrades-in-arms, are we not?"

Sabrina paused again, and Erika wondered if the other young woman was blushing behind her hair. "Certainly."

"Good, then let us begin a preliminary scan of the area." She rose to her feet and opened the door. Sabrina regarded her with only mild curiosity as she opened a Pokeball and released a teammate into the wind.

"Will Jumpluff be truly useful with the wind of the helicopters?"

Erika smiled and once again, it caught the other woman off-guard. "Jumpluff's spores will be easier to track and less conspicuous than your companion."

"... I see." She was impressed. Well. That was nice of her. Not that Erika would be surprised if Sabrina hadn't set her little follower to hunt too, but it was good to know they were both making an effort.

The rest of the ride went in something of a peaceful silence.

* * *

Samuel watched his grandson from the reflection on the rearview mirror. He didn't seem to notice, fingers playing with the new Pokeball in his hands. Once he could have claimed his grandson to be boastful, wild, more bark than bite. He hadn't been able to say that since the boy had turned ten. Ten had been the journeying age when the boy's father was a child. The professor could recall when the age had been  _eight_ , for his older sister and himself. Said older sister lost her leg in Victory Road and still won the League. Never could it be said that Oaks weren't stubborn.

Regardless, as far as Gary had been concerned, he was four years late on his journey through the world, and he didn't regret any of the waiting. He'd seen many kids go off into the League, into the big, wide world, only to come back within months, if not weeks. Maybe five of the Pallet Town kids made it to the League.

Five. Five out of what could be anywhere from seven to twenty on any given year from Pallet Town alone. There was always at least one unaccounted for. No guesses where that one child ended up.

His grandson had lost his childish look at Pokemon training since learning that little statistic. He wished the rest of the boy's innocence hadn't gone along with it.

"Grandpa, why are you staring at me like that?" The brown eyes locked on him, puzzled.

Professor Oak smiled, shaking his head. "Just old man worries. We haven't heard from Daisy in a few hours."

"She'll be all right," Gary said, returning his gaze to the window. "It's Daisy. She probably got there ahead of us and has finished her shopping."

Oak smiled. "I hope you're right." He made a careful turn and switched on the radio.

_'".. Breaking news, the Magnet Train was hit by a sudden projectile and thrown off of the rails during a routine trip from Goldenrod to Saffron, crashing into the forest on the eastern outskirts of Mt Silver..."_

Oak didn't really need to hear the rest. "Gary, hold on back there. I'm going to speed up a bit."

"Got it." Gary's fingers were white against the seat belt. Oak ignored it and pressed on the accelerator. The car protested, but it eventually went back to its quiet rumbling across the road. He looked down at the sound of a beep. "Daisy," he said, holding up the Pokegear. "Where are you?"

The speaker was full of Daisy panting for air for a few minutes. Then she managed to get out, "Rockets in Diglett's Cave..."

Oak almost hit the brakes, but the thought of the fallen Magnet Train forced him to keep driving. No need for  _multiple_  accidents today. "Were you caught?"

"I escaped," she breathed out. "Just barely. Cleffa's a lifesaver. Be ready, Grandpa. If they're this close..."

"Vermillion may be overthrown soon," Oak surmised. Side route then.

Gary raised an eyebrow despite himself. "Isn't Surge a soldier?"

"The war's been over for going on ten years," Oak replied, waving absently to the guard at the Cerulean border. "That man gets maybe three real threats a year. He's relaxed, as much as a paranoid fellow like him ever can."

Gary winced. "Let's pray he's not relaxed enough. Daisy, where are you?"

"Saffron gate," she replied. "I'm going to head to the station. I'll meet you there."

"Wait, Daisy, haven't you've seen the news?" Gary mentally groaned. They could kill her in a crowd as much as a forest  _anyway_. "The Magnet Train went down."

Daisy's side went quiet. Then she said, as calmly as she could. "Just because the train went down doesn't mean Ash did." She took a deep breath. "I'll meet you in the Center instead." The line went dead and Gary groaned.

"Stupid Daisy..."

"One of our family has to be an optimist," his grandfather said. "Let's just believe that she's right."

* * *

"What the heck is a Mew doing here?"

"You don't have to repeat yourself," Maisy muttered, peering more closely at the crater. "Boy, did it make an impact. Is it still alive?"

"It doesn't look like it's bleeding to death from here." Ash leaned to get a closer look and winced. Never mind "Though, honestly, that could mean darn near anything at this point."

"It's a Legendary, not a sack of flour."

Ash snorted at the comment. Well, Molly would probably not like her very much. She wasn't one for the puppy-dog eyes. He looked at the Mew again, back at Maisy, then towards the fallen train carts. He hesitated, then shrugged, beginning to make his way towards the unconscious Pokemon. Far as he could tell, it was still alive. Therefore, that meant he could put the thing in a Pokeball of some sort and pray to the gods that weren't currently unconscious and near-death that it would  _stay_ in said ball.

Maisy groaned. "Ash, Mew could be faking it."

"I don't think you and I could survive an impact that heavy with the ground without at least bleeding," Ash shot back. "It's half our size, weight, and probably sanity. I'll be fine."

She glowered at him, but let it go, watching him clamber down in slow, careful steps. He probably knew how well he could push himself better than she did. Didn't mean she had to like his stupidity. Sora stepped after him, slipping to his side like water. Maisy grunted, but sat on the ground. Teddiursa's ball shook in her hands and she ignored it, her dark eyes fixed on Ash.

Ash almost tripped and fell, but managed to stab his cane into the dirt to keep himself upright. "That coulda hurt," he muttered, beginning the trek again after a few minutes of catching his breath. In retrospect, he probably should have sent Sora down instead without him. Type immunity and all of that crap. Too late now.

Sora padded ahead, making tiny grunts as she touched stable ground. Ash followed her steps as quickly as he could. He didn't want to jinx it anymore than he already had. This slow trip was going to be a murder on his legs. He reached the Mew, and it didn't so much as twitch. Its breathing was too slow for comfort and Sora sniffed at it and growled. Ash tried not to roll his eyes, reaching for one of the not broken Friend Balls in his pocket. He enlarged it and hesitated. "If this works, I will pick every Apricorn from the trees. Twice." He threw the Pokeball, mentally panicking. What were the rules about catching mythical monsters? Be careful? The environment will suffer for it?

Ah, screw it. It was hurt and took out a train car. That had to mean something.

He tossed the ball and it pulled the Pokemon inside. There wasn't even a shake before it went still. Sora picked it up in her mouth and went to his side. Ash stared at it for a moment, then groaned. "I really don't like this."

"Ash!" Maisy hissed. "Get back up here!" She had released her Teddiursa again and his ears kept twitching. Little whines escaped his throat and not even the threat of Vince's fangs on fire seemed able to pull him out of it.

Ash winced and started the trek up. There was a low snarl almost two meters away and he cringed, forcing himself up. "Maisy?"

"I'm okay!" Her voice shook. "They, they're not moving closer. I think Vince is scaring them a little."

Ash grunted relief. Atta boy, Vince. He made himself speed up. His legs swore at him but he didn't particularly care. There was another growling sound above them and Ash jerked his head so Sora could look. She glowered at him, indicating displeasure with the flash of her red eyes. He scoffed and pressed onward.

Reaching Maisy's side, he took a minute to breathe. Then Ash raised his head to see a pack of three Houndoom and three Houndour bristling and snarling. Vince snarled right back. "You think it'd be too cold for these guys around here. He fingered the Friend Ball in his pocket. He couldn't let these guys break the ball. Even a Legendary could succumb to type disadvantage when it was hurt as bad as this critter was.

"Hey, can you fight?" He hissed at Maisy. Maisy nodded. She was still shaking but there was a steely look in her eyes.

"I'm not that tired." Her eyes flickered. "Besides, we need to stay awake for them survivor copters or whatever. What's the plan?"

 _What's a plan?_  Ash was tempted to say that aloud, but decided against it. "See that Houndoom with the curling horns? Focus on him. He's head honcho. If you can catch him, we have two outcomes: the Pokemon will scatter without a leader, or they'll come running for us. If they choose the latter, we'll have Sora get us out of range." He glanced at his Absol, who grunted agreement.

"Well, considering your last idea," Maisy muttered. "I suppose it can't get any worse. Though, wait-" She glared at him. "Why should  _I_  catch it?"

"I've got Vince. You need something strong if we're stuck out here for much longer."

Maisy rolled her eyes. "True, I guess. Right then. Let's do it. Ready Teddy?" Teddy let out a squeak that said he was  _not_ ready, thank you! Maisy tried to contain her sigh. "Brick Break, you wuss!"

Teddy whimpered, but stepped forward, paw glowing orange. The Houndoom snorted fire and barked. The rest of the pack began to edge back, growling still. The Houndoom stepped forward and crouched. Its pointed tail swished and Teddursa perked. Then it leaped. Teddy tried to backpedal.

"Teddy, punch up!"

In its panic, Teddy obeyed, sending the Brick Break into Houndoom's open jaw. The Houndoom yelped and leaped back in surprise. Houndoom's scarlet eyes narrowed and it lunged again, flame bursting from its jaw. Teddy scrambled away, only to squeak as the Houndoom's jaws wrapped around his arm. It squeaked and flailed, scratching and managing to run back towards Maisy. It let out a whine.

Maisy shook her head. "No, Teddy. We started it! We've gotta finish it! Baby-Doll Eyes, then Scratch!"

Teddy whimpered but obeyed, widening its eyes at the approaching Houndoom. The opponent paused mid-step, puzzled. Then Teddursa lunged. The scratching claws were dodged and he was struck to the side. Teddy whimpered, but made himself get up.

Maisy winced. Teddy wasn't gonna last too much longer, but... "Play Rough!"

Teddy leaped with all of his weight and smacked into the Houndoom, eyes pink and flashing. He swung and swung, scratching and punching. The Houndoom was skidding backwards, then bit and threw Teddy aside.

Vince made to paw forward but Ash waved a hand. He sat back, looking sulky.

Meanwhile Teddy wobbled, looking like he was going to fall on his butt.

"Go on Teddy!" Maisy was jumping up and down, fingers wrapped around an Apricorn Ball. "You've got him! You've just gotta jump! Aim for his jaw!"

Ash almost groaned out loud. And here he had thought  _Molly_ was enthusiastic.

Teddy at least responded to it, catching himself and stepping back. Then he charged forward, runningwith a glowing orange fist. Houndoom leaped out of range and landed on top of the bear.

"Get your paw free!"

Teddy squeaked and hit Houndoom in the ribs.

"If he was like, three levels higher, he'd at least be giving the guy a concussion," Ash mused aloud.

Maisy spared a second to glare. "Then next time,  _you_  catch the idiot! Play Rough!"

Teddiursa flailed again and the two Pokemon disappeared into a cloud of dust. Teddiursa escaped it seconds later, whimpering and covering his bloody nose. Houndoom grunted and threw himself forward. Maisy panicked and threw the Fast Ball clutched in one hand. It bounced off of the dog's forehead and opened, sucking it in.

"Uh... oops."

Ash watched it shake. "Get to Sora and the egg." Maisy pulled Teddy back, murmuring to the ball as she retreated.

The rest of the pack began to growl as the ball's shaking fell to a stop. One of the Houndoom threw back its head into a great howl that almost shook the trees.

Ash swore under his breath. "Vince, get ready to Smokescreen."

Vince grunted, just as a Houndour lunged to tackle Ash to the ground.

Said Houndour then went flying into a tree with a whimper.

Ash looked to see a little girl. She giggled behind a pale hand. "Found them!" she chirped. She stepped forward. "Are you playing with those doggies? Can I play too?"

Ash really wished he could curse right now. This was the worst Pokemon journey  _ever_.

The hounds turned, glaring daggers at their new target. Ash kept one eye on them, gesturing to Maisy with the other. They had no clue who the girl was, though judging by the stainless state of her dress, she clearly wasn't living in these woods. Was she a survivor? Had she hit her head or something? Argh, he didn't have time to think about this!

"Get Sora to move you closer to the train," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

He could feel Maisy glaring even though he couldn't see it. "And leave you to be dog food? Not a chance!"

"Then at least get the egg!"

"No!"

Ash set his shoulders. And here he thought he was stubborn. Arceus help him. "Fine, but be ready to run. I swear if you're not, I'm  _punting_ you towards the train."

"With what?" Maisy shot back. "Your hero complex?"

Ash reassessed Maisy. She was Molly with a mouth  _and_  a chip on her shoulder. He was starting to think Johto had something in the water.

The other girl stepped closer. "Good doggies," she chirped. "Come on, let's play fetch!" A stick flew into the air and smacked into one of the Houndoom's noses. "No," she scolded with a giggle. "You were supposed to catch that! Silly, silly pooch."

Ash edged back. "You sure you don't wanna get out of here?"

Maisy winced. "I'm reconsidering the idea..."

The Houndoom snarled and leaped towards her, only to ram headfirst into a tree.

The girl spun to the side. "Oops. Missed me!" It snarled at her, then looked up to the sky in confusion. The hound began to edge back to the rest.

Ash shifted. There was a weird noise...

Maisy tugged his shoulder. "Up!" He raised an eyebrow and followed her pointing index finger. A black speck was moving in from the east.

"Uh, Maisy, you have better eyes than me." Ash squinted at it again, keeping one eye on the girl. She didn't even seem to notice the pack's retreat, humming to herself.

Maisy winced. "Oops, sorry. Anyway, judging by the direction, that looks like a helicopter."

"Just one?" Ash groaned. "That's probably not gonna work."

"They probably have more, we just can't see them."

"Can they even see us from up here?" Ash rubbed his eyes, which were beginning to water. "How do we know they're not Rockets or something?"

"We don't," Maisy mumbled. "We've just gotta hope there's nothing a Rocket could want to come out here and get."

Well, as long as they didn't know about the Mew, that was a pretty safe bet.


	3. 3

3.

Akari had a bad habit of dreaming vividly and not even caring about it. They would be fun stories for her family... and someone could tell them better. She knew someone who caught details better than a detective on television and listened until they knew the story better than you.

She knew someone like that... didn't she?

No... that didn't matter.

What mattered was that she couldn't see too well, and that she was dreaming.

Someone chuckled. "Do you really have to know everything?"

That was a strange question. Did she? "I have to know something at least, or I won't be able to move on."

"Move on from what?" The voice teased. It was male. She was sure of that.

"The end of that summer." The words were so immature, so dramatic, but that was the truth. It was fall, cooling to winter, but she still felt stuck in that sticky air at some moments of her life. Then she forgot them, and went right on. But the niggling feelings were just enough to be noticeable, just enough to be discomforting.

The realization struck her and she glowered. "Oi! Were you the one that made us forget?"

"I don't even know what you have to remember!" the voice said, sounding affronted. "Why would I want you to forget what I don't even know?"

"Then why are you here?"

"The same reason you're here," he said, as reasonably as some adults she might know. "whatever that reason is." He laughed. "Sorry about that."

"Well, you're no help at all." She couldn't help it, she pouted, glared, and the expressions were easy, nostalgic. She wore this look often when dealing with this person. But why?

The other only laughed. "That's your own fault." They paused, almost like they were frowning. "No wait... it's not your fault. You're just the spare parts."

They paused again. "Oops that sounded bad, didn't it?"

"Damn right!"

He laughed. "Sorry, sorry! But it's fine! Everything is all right in the end!"

She put her hand on her hips. "It is not all right! I don't know who you are and you make claims like that!"

He laughed again. "That's why I'm saying it's all right!"

" _You don't want to know."_

She awoke to the sound of her alarm and the sun streaming through her window. She cursed, quietly but creatively, and didn't know why.


	4. 4

4.

The air grew colder, thicker, and with it, the feeling of loneliness. She had middle school to worry about, and that meant growing apart. But apart from who? Her friends? Her friends who barely spoke to each other a lot of the time because they didn't have to? Her family, who for some reason seemed to trust her more by herself than even her older sister? The memories?

No, it couldn't be the memories, because there was nothing to forget. There was just something to remember, and on snowy days when there was nothing to think about, she knew about it. Then the very idea of it left her brain and she went to help her mother, or do some homework, not to think of the gap until the world didn't distract her again.

She hated when she remembered she had forgotten something, because there was no way to figure out what it was. The Digimon were gone, and she had no way to contact them. But did she want to was the real question.

If it really was a question at all, what with the fact that it always nagged and brought back images of red.

Yes, red.

Red light, red clothes, blood dripping, so much, so much red.

All of it swum together into a person, a faceless person who maybe always wore a big, childish smile and maybe was just too kind for their own good.

Weren't those people a dime a dozen?

And weren't they always broken in the end?

_Not this one._

But who were they then?


	5. Chapter 5

5.

Akari had taken to sports commentary, though how she knew half of what she did was anyone's guess.

It was fun watching Yuu thrash the competition practically by himself at least. His teammates were there, yeah, but none of them had the  _grace_ that came from dodging giant bursts of flame or the brightness from knowing weaknesses.

They were  _good_ , sure, but just  _kid_ good.

One of them just needed to admit it more.

"Yuu! What the hell, you could have passed it to me, not Fuzushima!"

Akashi Tagiru.

Brash, a little obnoxious, as hard-headed as Yuu himself.

It was always funny to see them argue.

Tagiru was more physical than Yuu, but when it came right down to it, Yuu could flip him bodily over his shoulder and laugh. Akari had seen him do it more than once.

She was sorely tempted to lock them both in a supply closet.

"You mean when you were covered by at least three guys?" Yuu snapped. She swore he was on fire.

Tagiru, all brown hair and young face and blazing passion, was no less vivid in his response. "I could have thought of  _something._ "

"That would have involved you being able to think."

Akari giggled and for a second the air hummed. It was a familiar beat, loud and fast and hyped up. She jolted straight, and Yuu looked at her, wide eyes and a slowly brightening smile. They thought… they thought and waited… but nothing.

Nothing but a familiar face walking past, spinning headphone and humming a pop song. The face was only familiar from that day, that day where they both were unsettled… by what? By who?

The boy looked at them. He smiled and Akari froze.

"Don't stop on my account," he said, grinning wider. "Just passing through."

He walked on and her heart thudded all the louder.

Akari shook herself. "Who are you?" she murmured, and the lonely feeling returned, thick and raw.

Yuu swallowed. "Akari-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know him?"

"No…"

Tagiru looked at the pair of them, well put-out. "He goes to our school, Yuu."

Yuu turned to him. "Really?"

Tagiru nodded. "Yeah. Don't you know him?"

Yuu put a hand to his temple. "I should… shouldn't I?"


	6. Chapter 6

Her dream that night was low and wild, not merely foggy and silent anymore, but red hazed and restless. Anxious drumbeats littered the air, dancing below her feet and making her heart thrum.

This time, she could see the boy a little more clearly. He was still smiling, expression looking as serene as the Cheshire cat. "You're making things more difficult for yourself." He tilted his head. "Unless I'm making things more difficult."

"Maybe you are." Her eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"Who do you think I am?"

"Are you the guy who's been watching me?"

The other laughed. "You ought to be careful if you have a stalker, miss. You're a nice lady, I'm sure. You don't deserve that."

"How do I know you're not the one who's stalking me?"

He laughed again. "Can people normally talk in your dreams? Don't be silly!"

She flushed, fists clenched. "Shut  _up_ , Taiki!"

For a moment, Akari stood there in the wild of the dream, of the brushing of flames tickling at her neck. The other, still in fog barring the healthy darkness of the skin and the messiness of his hair in the wind. sighed, a blissful chuckle leaving his lips. "That's right," he said softly. "My name  _is_ Taiki, isn't it? It's too bad you won't be able to remember that."

"What, why?"

"Why do you think?"


	7. 7

She was starting to hate dreaming. Like ever. What was the point if all she was going to do was forget it? If all her brain was going to do was just say, "Sorry, no answers for you!", why even bother?

"It's a perfectly normal event," her father would tell her when she ranted. Then it shouldn't feel weird to always forget, should it? There was really no point to explaining these sorts of things to her parents. They were probably  _willingly_ forgetting everything. Adults.

But... maybe she and the others were doing the same thing.

What was it they didn't understand?

"It's a who."

She gave Zenjirou a doubtful look from the sidelines. She had been watching him practice, in return for a listening ear. He slashed down again with a forward step, scoffing.

"How dare you doubt a swordsman's intuition?"

"Because you lost to some random kid in that competition." She grinned with mischief. "Wasn't he apparently a rookie?"

Zenjirou flushed. "It was luck and trickery, Akari-kun! I've trained since then! My mind is sharper, my body-"

"Yeah, yeah you big tough guy." She reached up to swat him on the nose. "What was the guy's name anyway? He's your all-mighty eternal rival, right?"

She expected a scoff, a quick answer, and more rambling. What she got instead was a rather puzzled frown. "That is the conundrum... I don't remember!" He paused to lean on his wooden blade. "I usually try to recall his face during practice... but... it just fades away horribly quickly." He rubbed his forehead. "I am certain he must be a great swordsman, but... to be forgotten is..."

Akari frowned. Zenjirou had a better memory than she did... as evidenced by his old entrance exam scores beating her by a pretty good margin. So how could he  _not-_

"Hey... Zenjirou."He looked at her, puzzled. "Is it possible that the two of us are forgetting the same person?"


	8. 8

_That boy hasn't been in my dreams for a while._

She supposed she should be relieved, but it probably didn't mean anything anyway, since none of them were any closer to the answer than before.

In fact, Akari felt further away now. It was kind of like being dragged from the theater after the movie was over and not seeing the stinger, the last, conclusive piece of the film that either gave more questions or more answers. Not that she really  _wanted_ to dream of a boy. Her parents would probably be concerned, or they would be if her grades started dropping. Though she would be concerned if her grades started dropping. Her memories weren't worth a failing grade… were they?

She had seen that kid from Tagiru's school around more often though. He was usually at the games, tapping the beat to whatever tune was in his headphones. Sometimes there was a book in hand, sometimes not. He would always grin at her and Yuu, like he was implying something because they usually walked together.

"We do not," she actually said to him once, mildly affronted, and he had only chirped back.

"I know."

It was the most confusing and disturbing thing ever but what was more bizarre was how he stayed around sometimes and just talked to them after each game. He did watch apparently, because he could correct moves and shots like nobody's business. Tagiru seemed to fawn over him like a peanut-butter drenched dog, which Yuu pushed him off the bench for.

Funnily enough, he was familiar. The boy, she meant, not Tagiru. She knew she couldn't forget Tagiru without a mind wipe or two.

"Hey, who are you anyway?" she finally asked, mentally cursing the second the words flew out of her mouth. She sounded like a  _boy_ herself, damn it.

The other paused mid page-turn. "Eh… I told you my name already."

"You did?"

He nodded, and there was that smile, careless as always.  _As always?_  "Mmhm. Don't you remember?"

"No," she said slowly. "I don't… I don't think so. Maybe… I'm probably just forgetting things."

The other laughed. "Gee, that does wonders for my self-esteem."

She rolled her eyes. "Please, you're fine."

He smiled, but this time, Akari couldn't help but notice that it didn't reach his eyes.

Who… was he?


	9. 9

"Hmm… do you like him?"

Akari colored. "Nene!"

Her friend laughed. "Well, it's a legitimate question, Akari-kun. The only boy you talk about at length besides my brother is Zenjirou-kun… and we know  _exactly_ what's wrong with him."

Akari snorted, taking the girl's proffered soda glass.  _Hard to believe that Nene's rare weekend off will be spent with her giving me relationship therapy._ Oh well, she seemed happy about it. It was good to see Nene happy and not exhausted from endless rehearsals, as she always was during phone calls and chatrooms in late evenings. "How am I supposed to like him? He's nice... but nice guys don't last." She didn't know why she thought that, what with her father being a nice guy but the thought of liking this person seemed painfully unobtainable.

Nene tutted. "Kiriha-kun is doing relatively well for himself."

"Nene, Kiriha-kun is a  _jerk_."

"He's trying, Akari-kun." She didn't even sound like she believed that, which was what made Akari smirk in triumph.

"Yes, but is it working?"

"Well..."

They laughed. Akari sighed. "Have you remembered the end of the fight?" The question came to her in a passing thought, like it was related to their conversation somehow.

Nene brushed at her brown ponytails, shaking her head. "I can't. I dream and dream, but… nothing. Nothing but golden lights and spinning diamonds. It's almost poetic."

"More like obnoxious," Akari muttered. "At least you remember more than me."

Nene chuckled, tugging gently at her hair. "The Xros Loader may have helped with that, but I don't think it's much. In any case…" She placed her head on her palms. "You believe that boy might have something to do with it."

Not a question. Nene, oddly enough, only asked questions when they might as well be statements.

"The one in my dream? Yes. The guy whose name I can't remember every time I see him? I have no idea. A part of me…" She hesitated and Nene gave her a small nudge. "A part of me thinks so, but doesn't want to know."

"Any clues as to why?"

"Not a one." Akari can't help her grin after that. "Want to go ask him?"


	10. 10

"Hello! Nice to meet you!"

This guy could be gratingly cheerful, she thought. He just smiled like there was nothing wrong in the world and that the very sight of two young women was enough to make the clouds poof away. Maybe he was secretly a pervert?

Akari doubted that because seconds later, he stood up and bowed to them both, eyes only lingering on Nene's face for a nanosecond longer as if to memorize it, playfully pocketing his MP3 player. Akari caught a flash of its red casing before it went snug in his pocket. "How can I help you today?"

Nene couldn't help but giggle. "You can help by telling me your name."

The boy blinked. "Hasn't she told you?"

Akari flushed and scratched the back of her neck. "I have a tendency to forget it," she admitted and Nene laughed despite herself. "It's not my fault!"

"Right, right, she's probably just bad with names." The spring in his voice made her think that he didn't believe that excuse in the slightest. She pouted.

"This isn't exactly giving off the vibe of supportive friend."

The three of them shared a laugh, as the boy stood up, balancing on one foot for a second. Akari jolted, head briefly spinning at the familiar movement of shifting from one foot to the other with catlike poise.  _When he didn't have his goggles,_  she thought suddenly, without any idea what she was thinking about at all.  _He would do that, so he wouldn't blab out whatever it is he wanted to say, it made him focus better._

_It made who focus better?_

"Well, it's only polite that I introduce myself anyway," he said. "New person, nice friend, all of that." He gave a quick, small bow. "I'm Kudo Taiki. Nice to meet you!" As he straightened, he smiled. "Or, nice to see you again, as circumstances may have it."


	11. 11

Her brain splintered, eyes squeezing shut and suddenly Akari found herself dreaming again. The male's voice was different now, a little bit sly, sweet as syrup mixed with vanilla ice cream. The grey eyes glittered red in the pupils, what she could see of them anyway in the grainy world.

"Something wrong?"

The question reverberated, mocking but genuine and how could it be like that? She looked around and the featureless area was now red clouds and colorless abyss and the air thickened with an unruly scent and taste of blood and twisted perfume.

"You,"Akari murmured, half-in wonder.

Taiki nodded, licking his lips. "Un," he agreed well enough. "About time you figured it out. You're a nice lady, but a bit slow with the obvious, huh?"

She grit her teeth. "You left!" Her memories are vague and full of cotton fuzz but of that she is very certain. "You left us here to explain, explain everything!"

"But you didn't have to explain anything," he said, in a voice too patient for her temper. "That's why you forgot. Do you really think I would have left you to clean up the mess by yourselves?"

"Then where did you  _go_?"

Taiki only laughed. "To finish the last parts of the gameboard, obviously."


	12. 12

She was awoken by Nene's shaking, and Taiki was staring at her with only mild curiosity and maybe even concern (She can't tell because she didn't know what was real anymore.) Akari shook her head and tried to smile but her horror was reflected in Nene's expression and she thought with horror that they both know but they don't know  _what_ . Not enough to give it a name or a reason or an existence.

"Um… did I miss something?" Taiki's voice was puzzled but polite and he scratched his head. "You two… are you two okay?"

Akari blinked, looking up to shout at him that  _something_ was wrong and he should recognize it! But the words caught in her throat at the blank expression he wore, eyes guileless and almost innocent. That wasn't the exact word, but she could think of nothing else. The eyes in the dream had been grey and red, but these were ordinary.

He didn't know. In the dream, he knew but awake, he… he was just looking at her, normally.

What was going on?

"Sorry," she said, surprising herself. "I just remembered, I've gotta run. Later!" She stood up and bolted, leaving Nene to helpless mutter what were probably apologies but Akari didn't care. She had to get away, had to figure this out.

They had beaten Bagramon, all of them together.

And then Taiki had just… vanished? Laughing at them, laughing as he had when he had lost Shoutmon, laughing mad. Or laughing to pretend that he was perfectly okay, that there was nothing wrong even though something was wrong, something down deep that he couldn't explain.

And that something had tried to kill them.

Why didn't it succeed?

Nene only caught up to her as she slowed down, thinking deeply and almost hitting a pole. She knew Taiki. His strategies only went wrong if he didn't think far enough ahead. If he wanted to kill them, he should have been able to.

Why would he choose not to? To make them forget.

"Because of his stupid hero complex," she said aloud.

Nene looked worriedly at her and Akari shook her head. She was afraid she was going to start laughing.

"My best friend tried to kill us all," she said in a voice bubbling with mirth. "Then he managed to save us all. Now what do we do? We remember."

"Why did we forget?"


	13. 13

There were no dreams for days, none that were beyond the ordinary human things she almost had taken for granted. She wasn't sure how to feel about that.

She went to less games, and while she hadn't told Yuu what was going on, he seemed to know anyway to just keep out of the way. Taiki was usually there, and while he always smiled at her, the vacant curiosity is always enough to make Akari cringe because the memories are slowly returning. Her childhood friend never looked entirely out of focus before. He always seemed to be aware even when he was ignoring everything.

The lack of it hurt to watch.

But the final battle was still a blur, so she had no clue where it was going from here.

On the upshot, Kiriha answered his phone. So at least he's still alive.

Idly, Akari wished for a Xros Loader, because her hands briefly remember sharing one that now isn't there. Taiki must have it but how it get there when she should have it was a question she was afraid to ask.

The last answered question hadn't gone well.

"Why are you running away?"

Once in a while, Taiki would catch her and that would be what he would ask. Most of the time, she would ignore him, hurrying from one place to another, not thinking of the question, not thinking of how much it mattered until later. Later, when her mind turned and Akari wondered what kind of face he was wearing when he asked it.

One day, she would think before falling asleep after tossing and turning for what would feel like days, one days she would answer, even though she could never think of an answer.

And the time she did, the words stuttered on her tongue for minutes more than Akari would have liked. The eyes that looked at her once more felt like the mix of red and grey and attempted murder that she knew them as. There was no cluelessness and that emboldened her to find the answer.

"Are you Taiki?" she asked, noticing he didn't shiver in the fall wind. "Or someone else?"

"Answer my question and I'll answer yours," he said with an innocent smile.

"That  _is_ my answer," she said and Taiki laughed. The sound sounded like milk chocolate and felt like caked blood.

He lifted up his hand and she's not surprised to see the Xros Loader there, where it needed to be, where, she realized, it was supposed to be. "There's no third option here," he said, and Taiki's voice was almost gentle. "So I am Kudo Taiki, but I'm not the one you know. He's gone, you see. Long gone. The game took him away, and I'm what's left."

"The game?" Akari felt the hair on the back of her neck rise, and she thought of the toying around in a desert, of falling into a red abyss with an absent song in her ears.

"The other player will be here soon. Why don't you talk to him about it? It's all his fault, after all. Your Taiki would be with you, if he hadn't made one simple mistake." The person with her friend's face snorted. "Remember to always read the fine print, Akari."

"Just remember that."

Then he was gone, like he took a step and no longer existed and Akari was left shivering in the wind and realizing that spring was soon and so was summer. That summer was coming around again.

She wasn't going to be dreaming for much longer.


	14. 14

It was winter, three days after the New Year, and she had to be out in the damn snow. Akari trudged on, avoiding slips on ice and idiots driving through the slush. She cursed under her breath and hurried on. She loved Kiriha sometimes, loathed him others, and wished he had chosen a better day to drop in and tell them all about the issues in the Digital World that he was aware of. Preferably one where he actually bothered to send a car. But whatever, at least she could force him to on the way back.

She dodged into an alley to catch her breath and take a shortcut when the air suddenly seemed to warp, twisting from frost and chill to a muggy sky constantly on the verge of the setting sun. Sweat trickled down her forehead and Akari tugged at her scarf. The air was rippling without sound, and she swore that some things were screaming. She took a cautious step forward and then another, seeing now a red and yellow orb that could have been the sun in another explosion of dust. Dread coiled in her stomach and, ignoring the heat, she started to walk faster.

Then a hand grabbed hers and pulled her forward. "You shouldn't be here," Taiki said as he ran ahead of her. "Come on."

"Should you be here?" she managed to ask, keeping one hand on her hat.

He shrugged. "'Here' is relative for me, you need to get out of this world. It will eat you."

"It?"

Taiki laughed. "Time." He kept moving. "i guess he didn't show up, huh? The other player?" The red light twinkled like a nearby star.

"Never saw him."

Taiki sighed as they ran. "That's probably for the best. He's confusing about things just to be a creep."

Akari snorted. "And you'd know about that."

"Learned from the master," Taiki said dryly. Then he paused, and sighed. "i'm just trying to keep you all safe."

"Trying to kill us was safe?"

Taiki shrugged and lifted out his Xros Loader. "I didn't say I meant your life, did I now?" A bright light erupted into the sky and he threw her into it. "You don't have much time to wait, don't worry. Everyone has a role to play in what could be the last round."

She didn't have time to ask what would it mean if it wasn't because she was suddenly back in the freezing cold and almost falling into the snow if Nene and Yuu hadn't each managed to grab an arm and pull her up.

"I'm going to kill him one of these days," she muttered.

Yuu flinched. "I hope you don't mean me."

Akari managed to laugh. "Don't spout cryptic crap and you'll be fine, Yuu-kun."

Yuu flushed. "I'll certainly try my best to avoid that."


	15. 15

When spring arrived, the world warped again.

To be precise, it had warped many times.

Sometimes Akari felt it happen, or saw someone flicker, but it always faded. On warmer nights, her electronics would play up or go out and she would be left in the dark, watching the sparks through her window, like glitches on a game screen. She never went back, no matter how many times she returned to the same spot, no matter how many flashes of humidity and red sun.

Then, running home from exams, she heard the laughter of an old man. "It's a hard balancing act, isn't it?"

Her first thought was to keep coming, but she saw a gleaming golden clock and decided against it. "I need to stop letting my curiosity get the better of me… who are you?"

The old man laughed. "Haven't you heard of me? I'm sure he had to have mentioned me by now. And he's not here, is he?"

Akari shifted back on one foot. Looking at this old guy now, the word "eccentric" summed him up pretty well. Arrows all over his clothes, bandages on his hands, colors everywhere… She shut her eyes to get the odd image out of her head and into focus. "You're being kind of vague," she hedged, getting her bearings back. Almost as unhelpful as Taiki actually, which explained who this guy probably was. She decided not to say so. A couple more random meetings with Taiki had taught her to keep some stuff close to her chest.

"And you're being rather paranoid." The remark was casual from the outside, but Akari knew better than to assume it all was. There was a weird world in another pocket of time. Not a coincidence that she was being bothered now, or at least it shouldn't have been. Or this guy was nuts.

"My best friend tried to kill me for some reason," she said as placidly as she dared. "A lot. I'm learning jumpy is a good idea."

The man chuckled. "Yes, well, to be fair, I was doing the same. I'm sure he'd rather do it then let me bring you to your messy ends."

"You are who I think, then." Her head ached, like a part of this conversation wasn't from her.

The man shrugged. "In a sense, just as you are Hinomoto Akari in a sense. No?"

"In a sense?" Akari snapped incredulously. "I'm right here!"

"Yes, you are," the man agreed, and the clock behind her moved closer, showing its cracked frame. "Here, you are Hinomoto Akari, but are you the same somewhere else?"

"This is something I'm not going to try and comprehend," she decided before she even started.

He smiled. "Oh, but isn't that fun?" Akari glowered at him and he laughed. "Fair enough. Here." He threw a package into her hands. "If you want to play, best get your game controller."

Wary, she took a second to unwrap it, and stared at the contents in bewilderment. "Why would you give me one of these?"

The old man didn't answer, but the Xros Loader turned a gentle orange, almost peach in color.

Akari smiled a little. "Looks like things are gonna be busy from now on."


	16. Extra

"You really decided to move there."

The old man laughed. "Questioning my madness now?"

Taiki shook his head. "I stopped doing that fourth game. But in all seriousness," The teen crossed his arms, free of the cuff at his ankle, to his own relief. "What are we doing about Quartz?" His expression was as playful and easygoing as Bagramon ever saw it, but the fallen angel knew that didn't mean much of anything. Break a kid long enough and well-enough, anything could be under that smile. "You're the one who let your brother have a say in this game, you should have known it was gonna screw us all in the end."

If Bagramon was insulted by the other's dry tone, he didn't show it. "True, but I'm not playing for a false idol."

"At least fake idols are sure not to be gods," Taiki retorted. "now, quit dodging the question. The thing has already infected one layer of the game. Last time, we took too long and your little 'key item' left it _alive_ to respawn and we couldn't reset the board without them. Giving out spare Xros Loaders isn't going to stem it that much."

"You usually don't care." Bagramon reached across the board with one hand to pseudo-affectionately pet Taiki's head. The boy dodged, looking disgruntled. "Are you hiding something?"

"Aren't I always?" Taiki shrugged. "I'd just like this to be the last board. Not all of us have Peter Pan Syndrome."

"You wound me," Bagramon said with mock-pain. "I know you'd miss it."

Taiki's eyes turned abyssal red and pitch black. "More than you'd think." He yawned. "It still needs to end. So put a counter in for Quartz, or I will. And you would _so_ hate to be at a disadvantage again, right?"


End file.
